Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Another premature conclusion in the Trayvon Martin killing

If [George Zimmerman] went to trial, he would be (or at least should be) acquitted with that much evidence in his favor, since the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was not acting in self-defense...Jacob Sullum, Reason magazine

Those wondering if I'm consistently applying my "don't jump to conclusions before we know what the evidence actually is" standard, yes I am. Unless Sullum has gotten a private peek at the bulk of evidence still under wraps, he has no idea what the jury "should" find or even if it should go to trial at all (the charges will be dismissed if Zimmerman can prove at a pre-trial hearing that the preponderance of the evidence suggests he was acting in self-defense).

About "Change of Subject."

"Change of Subject" by Chicago Tribune op-ed columnist Eric Zorn contains observations, reports, tips, referrals and tirades, though not necessarily in that order. Links will tend to expire, so seize the day. For an archive of Zorn's latest Tribune columns click here. An explanation of the title of this blog is here. If you have other questions, suggestions or comments, send e-mail to ericzorn at gmail.com.
More about Eric Zorn

Contributing editor Jessica Reynolds is a 2012 graduate of Loyola University Chicago and is the coordinator of the Tribune's editorial board. She can be reached at jreynolds at tribune.com.